Mercantilism played a significant role in the Transatlantic Trade by promoting economic policies that favored national wealth accumulation through a favorable balance of trade. Nations under mercantilist policies aimed to maximize exports while minimizing imports, often exploiting colonies for raw materials and markets. This policy drove European powers to establish and expand colonies in the Americas, leading to increased production of cash crops like sugar, tobacco, and cotton. The demand for labor to cultivate these crops fueled the transatlantic slave trade, forcibly transporting millions of Africans to the New World. Thus, mercantilism significantly shaped the economic and human dynamics of the Transatlantic Trade.
What Role Did Mercantilism Play in the Transatlantic Trade?
